Cluster compounds state intermetallic structures

These catalysts are composed of one or several metallic active components, deposited on a high surface area support, whose purpose is the dispersion of the catalytically active component or components and their stabilization [23-27], The most important metallic catalysts are transition metals, since they possess a relatively high reactivity, exhibit different oxidation states, and have different crystalline structures. In this regard, highly dispersed transition clusters of metals, such as Fe, Ru, Pt, Pd, Ni, Ag, Cu, W, Mn, and Cr and some alloys, and intermetallic compounds, such as Pt-Ir, Pt-Re, and Pt-Sn, normally dispersed on high surface area supports are applied as catalysts. 

Recent development of the computational technique for electronic state of materials enables us to calculate the accurate valence electronic structure of fairly large and complicated systems from the first principles. However, it is still very important to investigate the electronic state and chemical bonding of a simple and small cluster model of metal element, because the basic imderstanding of the essential properties of the metal elements is not sufficient. It is also very useful to investigate a small cluster model in understanding various kinds of properties and phenomena of more complicated metallic materials like alloys and intermetallic compounds, because the fundamental electronic state is reflected in their properties. 

Tetrahedral clusters in the solid state have long been known as units in intermetallic compounds (Table 3). The recent discovery that nine-atom clusters are present in binary solids is the first example of homoatomic clusters of the elements Ge, Sn, and Pb that ean exist in solution and in the solid state with very similar structures. In A4Ge9 (A = the occurence of discrete 9" clusters with C4V sym-... 

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